Solitary Man
He sat with his head in his hands, seeing the last moments of the battle. The probes launched by the humans were tearing his comrades' ship apart; their gliders and his darts fired at each other as the surface of the planet curved below him.
Why was he here?
****
This world was filled with feeding possibilities. Thousands surrounded him, their life forces washing over him. They came to this city in the desert for pleasure; well, so had he. But he had something to do first. He needed a way to tell his people where this planet was. It wasn't in the same universe he'd come from, but it would do very nicely.
Nobody seems to notice him as he makes his way through the casino. The disguise worked-would it work well enough to allow him enough time to do what he wanted?
****
"Look at this guy." The fat one gestured. He didn't respond. He was not here to converse with hem, but he needed their money and this was one way to get it. The game was simple enough to learn.
The thinner human, the one with the haunted look in his eyes, seems to be studying him. Does he suspect what he really is? He decides it's time to leave. The fat one tries to prevent it, so he grabs his fleshy arm and tosses him aside with little effort. Physically they are a weak species; the dark-haired human with the haunted eyes is little more than an obstacle to run over. Even so, the human follows him, down a hallway, up a flight of stairs to the roof. The fall is painful, but only temporarily. He stands and looks up at the stunned human with satisfaction. Then he starts running again.
****
The desert has given him the solitude he needs to complete his mission. The transmitter is almost ready when he hears the sound of an approaching vehicle. He looks out the window of the trailer and sees the dark-haired human's car. Snarling with frustration, he throws a lever and grabs the nearby weapon.
The humans' bullets have little effect on him, but he knows that the human has been wounded, perhaps fatally. Now I feed, and you die, he thinks as he approaches the fallen human, who points a useless pistol at him.
Then he hears the sound of aircraft. Realizing what is at stake, he runs back into the trailer. The transmitter is working, but he does not know if the message got through or not. He cries out in defiance as bullets tear into the trailer, and he is consumed by flames.
****
John Sheppard looks at the smoking remains of the trailer with grim triumph. We were both solitary men here, weren't we, he thinks as he rolls over onto his back. But we beat you…and now it's my turn…
Sheppard smiles as the desert sun beats down on him.
THE END